Target Lawsuit Claims ‘Natural’ Kindfull Dog and Cat Foods Contain Synthetic Ingredients, Artificial Preservatives

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Target faces a proposed class action lawsuit that alleges the retailer’s Kindfull dry dog and cat foods are misbranded as free from artificial preservatives, given that the products contain synthetic citric acid and mixed tocopherols.

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The 21-page Target class action lawsuit says that despite prominent representations on product packaging touting the Kindfull dog and cat foods as containing no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, the citric acid and mixed tocopherols in the products are both artificial preservatives. Virtually all citric acid found in commercial food in the United States is produced through industrial manufacturing, the suit argues. Moreover, the tocopherols, fat-soluble compounds that have antioxidant properties, are “intentionally introduced” to the Kindfull items to extend shelf life and freshness, the complaint states. 

According to the suit, the mislabeled Target Kindfull dog and cat food varieties include:

-       Cat Food;

-       Adult Indoor Cat Food;

-       All Life Stages Cat Food;

-       Kitten Food;

-       Dog Food;

-       All Life Stages Dog Food;

-       Small Breed Dog Food; and

-       Puppy Food.

Per the case, the citric acid in the Kindfull products is decidedly artificial in that it is not extracted from fruit or any natural material but instead made from “industrial feedstocks using fermentation and chemical processing.” 

“Reasonable consumers would not understand ingredients derived from these processes as ‘natural’ or ‘not artificial,’” the complaint reads. 

Similarly, the mixed tocopherol preparations such as those in the Kindfull items do not exist as “incidental constituents” of whole foods but rather are intentionally added as “preservative systems” to maintain freshness and prevent rancidity, the suit continues. In fact, Target confirms in the Kindfull pet foods’ ingredients panels that the mixed tocopherols are used to preserve chicken fats, the lawsuit says.

“Commercial mixed-tocopherol preparations such as those used in the Products are not the same thing as tocopherols naturally occurring in whole-food ingredients or even extracted from natural sources,” the filing reads. “They are concentrated ingredient systems separately manufactured, supplied, and added to foods for functional purposes.” 

Per the case, components of the mixed tocopherols in the Kindfull products are chemically synthesized from petrochemical sources and “cannot be labeled as ‘natural’” without accompanying disclaimers. 

The Kindfull lawsuit looks to cover all consumers in California who purchased any of the Kindfull dog and cat food varieties listed on this page within the last four years.

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